Widespread Panic US Tour

Thursday, May 11, 2006

Earth To America, released June 13, to be followed by 35-date US tour

For their latest album Earth To America (Sanctuary/Widespread Records, June 13), Widespread Panic wanted to try something new- a new producer, a new studio, even a new country in which to work. It’s what brought them to the Bahamas to work with producer Terry Manning, an inspired pairing that yielded some big rewards. Says Todd Nance (drums), “It’s like he was waiting for us to touch upon what he was thinking. It was effortless; there wasn’t a moment when we didn’t know where to go or what to do.” Adds John Bell (vocals, guitar), “He brings out some really heavy and rich tones.” Sometimes, those results took the assistance of a few surprise gifts.

JB describes the moment when Manning brought out Robert Johnson’s old dobro for him to play on “Ribs and Whiskey.” “Terry said ‘Hey guys, lemme show you something. This is one of Robert Johnson’s guitars, and I’ve never touched it or tuned it. So to the best of my knowledge, it’s still sitting exactly as it was when it left his hands.’” It was the perfect addition- JB wrote “Ribs and Whiskey” after ‘discovering’ Johnson’s music a several years ago. To complement that, Manning borrowed an upright piano for JoJo Herman (keyboards, vocals) to play from an empty lot next to the studio property, where it had been used for a religious revival meeting some two months before. JoJo actually recorded the piano part to “Ribs and Whiskey” right there in the lot outside the studio. The resulting song is a boisterous party-starter.

The album closes on a blue note, however, with “May Your Glass Be Filled,” a bittersweet tribute to late guitarist Michael Houser. JB notes that it grew out of letter he began writing to Houser after his passing, which closed with a poem. That poem became genesis for the song, which encompasses “past relationships, but also ongoing relationships.”

Widespread Panic will follow the release of Earth To America with a 35-date U.S. tour beginning June 21 in Kansas City.